The Infected
by AquilaTempestas
Summary: An apocalyptic plague has been unleashed upon humanity, and now survivors must band together to stop the horde of rising dead. But how did this plague start and can it be cured? Rated T for blood, gore and occult themes. Cynthia/Steven, Dawn/Barry and others.


**Disclaimer**

The rights to Pokemon do not belong to me

**Title**

The Infected

**Summary**

An apocalyptic plague has been unleashed upon humanity, and now survivors must band together to stop the horde of rising dead. But how did this plague start and can it be cured?

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**Prologue**

_He was falling, forever falling, into a hole of pure black. But was he really falling or was his surroundings messing with his head by making him believe he was? It was hard to make sense of the environment of the Distortion World. He was in a world of darkness and there was no escape, at least nor for him. He wasn't sure how long he had been here for – who knew how to measure time here in this place – but it felt like he had been in here for decades now. Did time event exist in such a place? Had he aged at all? He had no way of telling unless he somehow managed to leave this godforsaken place. _

_Years of planning was supposed to have him as the creator of his own universe, but instead, he found himself imprisoned in a different dimension, with nothing to do other than reflect on his life. Sometimes he heard tormented cries echo throughout the world, and he wondered if there was someone else here with him, but he never caught the glimpse of another person. Perhaps he was going mad after all._

_He drifted to sleep… _

Cyrus found himself lying face-first in the grass. Immediately, he sprung up, spitting the loose blades of grass onto the ground. Rolling over onto his side, he gazed up at the thick grey clouds above him. Was this actually real? Or was he simply dreaming again and pretending he was in the real world? But everything felt so real. The taste of the grass in his mouth, the feel of the sun burning his skin… He couldn't recall escaping, but here he was back in Sinnoh in some part of the region.

He picked himself up from the ground, dusted the grains of dirt off his clothes and took a few steps forward, almost toppling over in the process. The sensation of walking on flat ground again was strange. In the Distortion World, you could walk sideways and float in the air to reach other platforms, but you couldn't do that here in Sinnoh nor in any other neighbouring region.

His stomach growled reminding him it had been quite a fair bit of time since he last eaten. In the Distortion World, he did not feel a human's basic needs, but he wasn't there anymore. He was ravenous now and eager to find something to satisfy his stomach. But first, he had to know exactly where he was and why he had been freed.

Dusting off the last few remaining pieces of dirt, Cyrus moved forward, feeling a few beads of sweat develop on his forehead. The burning ray of the sun was a pleasant change from the cold and dreary environment of the Distortion World. Once there had been a time where he hated the heat, but after being absent from it for some time, he had come to fully appreciate it.

He even longed for a bit of human companionship just to ensure he hadn't gone completely mad yet. Hearing the voice of someone other than himself would be a great comfort after spending all that time alone with nothing but his own miserable thoughts to entertain him. But there was nobody around which was unusual – normally, the streets would be filled with passing trainers and wild Pokemon.

He continued moving forward until he spotted a path branching to the west, disappearing behind a forest of dead trees. Following the path at a slow pace, he took the time to observe his surroundings, noticing how untidy the environment looked. Paths were normally cleaned every couple of months to ensure trainers could find their way safely around the region, but this one looked liked it hadn't been touched in about a year. The trees were in a similar state - vines snaked around their trunks and branches, as if they were attempting to choke them.

He was beginning to think the locals had all gone on a holiday when he spotted a two-legged being hunched over in a grass patch to the right. Curious, Cyrus sauntered forwards, his right hand resting on his pokebelt. A deep growl reached his ears and it appeared to be coming from the creature in the grass. Whatever it was, it wasn't human. It sounded like a cross between an Arcanine and an angry Tauros.

The humanoid creature rose to its legs and edged backwards from the grass, staggering onto the path, loose bits of skin hanging from its arms. It appeared to be human – it had two legs, two arms, a head and it even wore clothes, but its vocalisations were anything but human. A trail of blood ran down the creature's torn yellow cardigan. The thing turned its head to the left, its sunken eyes focusing on him, long black wispy curls hanging around its face.

"What in the name of Arceus…" Cyrus murmured, removing a pokeball from his pokebelt. He considered summoning one of his loyal companions, but then remembered he hadn't healed them yet. He reattached it, and continued taking a few steps back, eyes fixed on the creature. It hobbled towards him, arms outstretched, hissing and gnashing its teeth, its pace quickening with each step. Cyrus backed into a tree trunk.

The creature continued moving forward, its vocalisations becoming louder, almost deafening. Cyrus averted his gaze, and glanced down, searching for something solid to defend himself. His eyes landed on a fallen branch. It wasn't much, but it could be held in two hands, and used as a temporary weapon until he managed to heal his Pokemon. He picked it up and wielded it like a two-handed sword.

The bloodstained figure hobbled closer and Cyrus noticed the contents of its stomach were exposed to the elements. Screwing his nose up in disgust, he tightened his grip on the branch and braced himself for the attack. The creature was now only eight metres away… six metres… five… four… three… two… BANG. Before Cyrus could react, the creature froze in place, emitting a low hiss then fell forward landing on its face. There was a bullet embedded in the back of its head.

Cyrus gazed up. He spotted an elderly man at the opposite end, dressed in a white lab coat, a shotgun in his hands. The man lowered the gun then turned around, and walked away into the forest leaving Cyrus alone. Cyrus considered following the man, but only managed to take a step forward when he felt a sharp pain explode on the left side of his neck.

He moved his hand to towards his neck, fingers brushing up against what appeared to be a dart. He tried to remove the offending object when his consciousness began to fade. Blackness soon consumed him.

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Who would you like to see in the survivors group? This will not affect the plot, but am curious to hear your thoughts. Reviews are much appreciated, as always!


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